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Friday, 30 September 2016

The
Glorumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl written by Stella Caldwell,
illustrated by Quentin Blake (Carlton Books)

HB
RRP $29.99

ISBN
9781783122158

Reviewed
by Liz Ledden

2016
is shaping up to be the year of all things Roald Dahl. It is 100 years since Dahl’s
birth and the year the BFG movie was released, among other initiatives from
stage shows to re-released books.

A
large, hard-covered keepsake, the Glorumptious
Worlds of Roald Dahl is a scrapbook of sorts. It is divided into chapters
for each of his best-known titles, and full of interesting extras for fans
young and old to pour over. There are anecdotes about Dahl and his quirks
sprinkled throughout, too. For example, did you know he kept a piece of his own
hipbone in his writing hut, post-operation? Or that he ate a bar of chocolate
every day with his lunch, and added the foil wrapper to a ball that gradually
grew bigger? Perhaps envisaging a certain chocolate factory at the same time?!

The
book is written by an English literature scholar, Stella Caldwell, whose
amassed facts, letters, overviews and excerpts provide fabulous snapshots of
Dahl’s beloved books. An official book authorised by the Roald Dahl estate, the
illustrations by Quentin Blake mark its authenticity.

The
pages have a thick, matte feel evoking quality and longevity. There’s lots of
fun extra features, too, like fold-out flaps and little booklets (like ‘A
Spotter’s Guide to the Man-Eating Giants of Giant Country). There’s even an
inspiring letter from Dahl himself folded inside an envelope, a little touch of
magic for young readers.

This
is a wonderful companion title to add to any Dahl enthusiast’s collection, and
would make a wonderful gift.

Thursday, 29 September 2016

One
Half from the East by Nadia Hashimi
(HarperCollins) PBK RRP $16.99

ISBN 9780062421906

Reviewed
by Sharon McGuinness

Nadia
Hashimi’s first novel for young readers is an emotional and moving coming
–of-age story set in Afghanistan against the backdrop of war, its effects and
gender inequality.

Obayda is
ten years old and has already witnessed the horror of war – her father lost his
leg in a bomb blast and refuses to leave his bed. The family, Obayda, her
parents and sisters have moved from Kabul to a village closer to family for
support while her father recovers – yet his recovery is slow. Hampered by the
loss of his job, he has become depressed, depending on extended family for
accommodation and food.

Obayda’s
aunt has an idea which is believed to change the family’s luck – change Obayda
into a bacha posh – a girl pretending
to be a boy. A longstanding tradition in Afghanistan, the belief that by
bringing a boy into the home, the family’s luck will change – perhaps Obayda’s
father’s depression will lift, maybe her mother will become pregnant with a
son. Only when the bacha posh reaches puberty do they resume life as a girl.

The
village in which the family lives is a different world to Kabul – girls cannot
work and the village is run by a warlord Abdul Kaliq.

Obayda
struggles as Obayd – wearing pants, her hair cut short – yet it is liberating,
too. Freed from chores, and given more meat to eat, s/he is also encouraged to
play and explore. At school, Obayd joins the boys’ class and must participate
in more physical games at lunchtime.

Luckily
for Obayd, he is befriended by one of the toughest boys – Rahim, who reveals
himself as a bacha posh as well. Together a firm friendship is formed and Obayd
begins to adapt to his new life.

Time
passes and as Rahim approaches puberty his mother indicates to him that it will
be time to change again to a girl. Rahim, though wants nothing of it: ‘I only
want to be what I am now.’

Rahim has
an idea – based on a legend which told of the power of walking under a rainbow
– girls are changed to boys and vice versa. Convinced of its truth and with the
help of Obayd, Rahim is determined to locate a rainbow. Both girls attempt a long walk to a
waterfall, where a rainbow is often to be seen, but their attempt fails and
Obayd is in trouble for arriving home in darkness. At school, soon afterward,
Rahim does not appear and Obayd begins to wonder what has happened – particularly
after hearing that Rahim’s father is mixed up with the warlord.

Obayd’s
position as a bacha posh is changed when her mother becomes pregnant: now
perhaps her father may also improve.

Yet bad
news reaches Obayda that Rahim has been changed back to a girl – Rahima – who
has also been married off to the warlord at 13 years of age.

While
things improve for Obayda’s family – her father using a crutch that Obayd and
Rahim had made some months prior, there is no news of Rahima. School resumes
and Obayda returns to her class of girls and begins to form new friendships,
just as her mother gives birth to a baby boy.

Perhaps being a bacha posh
created some luck after all. We see Obayda’s father recognise her strength and
ingenuity, which perhaps being a bocha posh has given her.

The book
ends on a positive note – for Obayd and her family -- yet leaves the reader
with the unresolved story of Rahima. What is her life like as a 13-year-old
wife? How will she cope when she was clearly identifying as a boy? While things
have improved for Obayda, the opposite is not so for Rahima.

Hashimi’s
first book, ‘The pearl that broke its shell’ is actually the prequel to ‘One
half from the east’, yet it is also an adult novel as it explores the life of
Rahimi after marriage.

‘One half
from the east’ explores the reality of gender inequality in Afghanistan – life
as a bocha posh may enable a girl to see her potential and raise her
confidence, but what happens when they are required to change again? This would
be a valuable book to share with upper primary students – both girls and boys.
It is a gripping story, charged with emotion and leaving its mark upon the
reader.

Wednesday, 28 September 2016

I
don’t want to go to bedwritten
and illustrated by David Cornish (Harper Collins) HBK RRP $24.99

ISBN 9781460750582

Reviewed
by Sharon McGuinness

First
introduced to Rollo in I don’t want to
eat my dinner, Cornish has delivered the obvious sequel which will again be
appreciated by the parents of young children. Just when
Rollo’s parents think they have routines sorted, the bedtime issue raises its
head.

Rollo
uses the usual stalling tactics of needing a story, food, drink and sorting out
the monsters. Only when these issues have been dealt with does sleep beckon and
Rollo finally succumbs to tiredness.

Cornish
captures the mood of Rollo perfectly in his illustrations – from heavy frown to
wide mouthed hunger and timid fear. Children and adults will enjoy Cornish’s illustrations – Rollo’s mouth ‘as dry as a
desert’ or his desperate face when needing the toilet.

Tuesday, 27 September 2016

Gwendolyn
the penguin lives in the jungle and loves the humidity, the glorious flowers
and her friends. She spends much of her time encouraging her friends to
acknowledge the best of themselves and their surroundings.

So what
if Monkey’s bananas are freckled with spots?

In
Antarctica, Gwendolyn tells Monkey, penguins often go for days or even weeks
without food. Her
friend Jaguar says it’s too hot to hunt for food.

Gwendolyn
tells Jaguar to look on the bright side – Antarctica is all snow and ice and
freezing! At least in the jungle it’s hot and sunshiny.

But when
Gwendolyn is asked by Parrot if she has ever been to Antarctica, she realises
what she has missed and sets herself on a journey to not only find her way to
Antarctica, but to find her own identity.

MacIver
deals with themes of friendship and identity within the overriding theme of
positivity, which young children will certainly understand and begin to
appreciate. The ending is satisfying, with Gwendolyn feeling like a ‘real’
penguin, yet choosing to return to the jungle – her true home.

With
detailed illustrations by Terri Rose Baynton, this will be a lovely picture
book to share – whether one to one or with a class. It could initiate good
discussion about belonging, being positive and proactive – certainly issues to
introduce at an early age to promote resilience.

Monday, 26 September 2016

This authentic
retelling of two traditional Norwegian folk tales does nothing to make me like
trolls or forest witches any more than I did before. Not that this was
Norwegian-Australian author Lamond’s intention, I’m sure.

The first tale, The Little Old Lady from around the Bend is the story of a poverty-stricken old woman who, in her
younger days, makes the mistake of bargaining with and deceiving a family of
trolls. She helps a mother troll give birth and as instructed, smears some balm
on the baby’s eyes. However, she ignores the instruction not to get any in her
own eyes. Her reward for helping the trolls is an endless delivery of silver
coins. The catch is that she is not to spend, give away or speak of her new
wealth and so she continues to live in abject poverty.

When
the girl sees the troll wife stealing from a local bakery, the trolls learn she
had stolen some of the magic eye balm and the troll wife spitefully blinds her
in one eye. The girl then gives one of her coins to a beggar, causing her stock
of silver to immediately turn to a pile of dry leaves. The moral is not to
disregard instructions.

The
second story, The Golden Ball of Yarn,
is the tale of a woodcutter who works in the forests and one day is bewitched
by a forest witch, a Huldra, who attracts his attention with a golden ball of
yarn. From time to time the Huldra would spirit the man away. The man later
marries, but still the Huldra tries to trick him and steal him away. In order
to escape, the man sails to another land. The moral is not to be tempted by
seemingly attractive offerings.

Each
of these stories is aptly complemented by Kallick’s rich and detailed drawings
that invite the eye to linger on the page. Here is another classic offering
from Christmas Press that will leave young readers wanting to explore more
enchanting international folktales.

Sunday, 25 September 2016

They All Saw a
Cat written
and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel (Chronicle Books) HB RRP $29.99

ISBN
9781452150130

Reviewed
by Liz Ledden

This
is author/illustrator Brendan Wenzel’s debut picture book, and it’s made a
major splash - think a bidding war, a New York Times bestseller list spot (in
the picture books top 10), and rave reviews from all over.

A
cat ‘walked through the world’, and is viewed very differently by the animals
(and child) it encounters. A fascinating exploration of perception, it reveals
through vibrant illustrations the way in which creatures like a bird, a bee, a
mouse and a flea view the cat. We see a terrifying demon-like cat through the
eyes of the mouse, and an endless forest of cat hair via the flea. The wildly
different takes on the cat opens up ideas around how we see others, how they
might view us, and how everyone’s unique experiences shape the way they see the
world.

Rhythm
and repetition are used to great effect, and the illustrations are nothing
short of stunning. The cover, with its effective use of white space and simple
yet striking cat image (with a glossy contrast) is pure picture book eye candy.
The text is deceptively simple at times, with layers of meaning able to be
extracted and contemplated, the greater the age of the reader. A captivating
book destined to become a classic.

Saturday, 24 September 2016

This touching,
evocative and thrilling tale of family, belonging, growing up and the
Australian bush is as enjoyable today as when first published 32 years ago.
With a new forward by the author and simply rendered black and white line
drawings by Alvarez, Eleanor, Elizabeth
is set in 1959/60.

It’s the story
of 12-year-old Elizabeth and her family, who relocate to a remote farm that was
home to her grandmother, Elizabeth.

Eleanor struggles with the new situation,
including unwelcoming classmates and an equally harsh climate. An abandoned
schoolhouse sits among the farm’s old outbuildings. It’s full of webs, old junk
and dark corners and when Eleanor decides to explore one day, she discovers her
grandmother’s diary, written when she was just 13.

Through the diary,
not only does Eleanor get to know her grandmother and the commonalities they
share, but she learns about Elizabeth's special haven - a cave. It’s a spot
that becomes a refuge for Eleanor, her brothers, and a new friend when a deadly
firestorm sweeps the area. The fire is a dramatic high point and one that’s
vividly conveyed as we follow Eleanor as she leads her small band to safety
against many odds. The story ends with a gift from Eleanor's mother - a diary.
It’s a fittingly touching gesture and one that brings the story to a satisfying
end.

In Gleeson’s new
foreward, the now acclaimed author describes that she was suffering
homesickness in northern Italy when writing her first draft of what was to be
the first of her many awarded children’s books and novels. It’s a fact that clearly influenced her vivid
rendering of the Australian environment, as does Gleeson’s revelation in the forward that she was
impacted by her mother’s retelling of old family stories of regional
settlement.

Eleanor,
Elizabeth
is more than a first novel; Gleeson says that its acceptance and success gave
her the confidence to continue as a writer.

Christmas Press
is to be congratulated for reissuing this Australian children’s classic under
its Second Look imprint. Just as it did when first published in 1984, the story
is sure to delight and resonate with a whole new generation of young readers.

Friday, 23 September 2016

Sage Cookson is an
ordinary girl. However, her parents are television chefs and their TV show
takes the family all over Australia. Sage has a knack for finding adventures
while her parents are busy with their TV commitments.

In Sage Cookson’s Ring of Truth the Cookson
family travels to a bakery on Harmon Island, off Tasmania, to film the latest
episode of the TV show. After meeting the bakery’s owners — sisters Babette and
Bettina — Sage enjoys sampling the pastries and breads.

Then disaster
strikes. Bettina’s emerald ring goes missing and she thinks Sage is the thief.
Sage decides to find the ring and clear her name. While her mum and dad are in
front of the cameras, Sage searches everywhere inside and outside the bakery.
Eventually the ring turns up in the last place anyone expects …

This is the second
book in the Sage Cookson series and these quick-paced early chapter books will
appeal to readers aged 7+. Chapters are short and each features a black and
white illustration as a hint about what will happen next.

Extras: There’s a
recipe for beef and mushroom pies at the end of the book. The series also has
its own website www.sagecookson.com.au featuring sample chapters from the books,
more of Sage Cookson’s recipes, and activities related to the books.

Thursday, 22 September 2016

Get ready to
learn everything you ever wanted to know about the fascinating world of sharks
in this beautifully illustrated compendium.

Smart
About Sharks is overflowing with detailed information and
fascinating facts that will answer every question you ever had about the most
feared and misunderstood creatures of the sea.

Did you know
that sharks can detect electrical currents from other creatures? Or that the
average shark has 40 to 45 teeth? These are just some of the amazing facts
featured in this wonderful book.

Smart
About Sharks covers topics such as what sharks eat and how they
hunt. It also takes a look at the more unusual species of shark including the
carpet shark, frill shark and pyjama shark, and features a scaled diagram that
compares the sizes of different sharks.

This book is the brainchild of talented, award winning
illustrator Owen Davey, who has managed to create an incredibly informative
reference book that is also a pleasure to read. It is his second book devoted
to a single animal. Last year he released the popular Mad About Monkeys, an illustrated guide to the world’s 250 species
of monkey.

Smart About Sharks is perfect for readers of all ages. It is
a beautifully designed book and will be a fabulous
addition to any library.

Lovers of Carlo
Collodi’s Pinocchio will be thrilled
to see this beautiful fairytale translated into English for the first time. In
fact, Pipì, a mischievous monkey with a passion for copying humans, is a lot
like his famous wooden predecessor:

‘*I won’t do it again,” he added, looking up with
eyes that said the exact opposite.’

Pipìbreaks a promise to his father and
leaves the safety of the forest. When a crocodile bites off his tail, he feels
too ashamed to go home. A series of crazy adventures ensue, leading him to
Master Alfred, a boy who wants Pipìto
be his personal servant. Pipì promises to stay with him, but sneaks out of the
house that night to bid his family farewell. Ticklythroat, an evil bandit with
a promise of his own to keep, catches him.

Just as
Pinocchio’s nose returned to size when he stopped lying, Pipì got his tail back
when he kept his promise. But though Pinocchio got his wish to become a real
boy, Pipì decided he’d rather stay a monkey.

The story of
Pipì was written immediately after Pinocchio and is connected to it in a few
ways – some obvious, others less so. Readers will no doubt recognise the
mischievous monkey’s dishonesty and disobedience, along with the zany
adventures. Appearing in both stories is the Turquoise Fairy, who guides
Pinocchio and Pipì with her wisdom. The greatest connection lies in the
character of Master Alfred though, who (in one giant clue) even reads ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi’
to Pipì. Though not explicitly stated in the story, an amusing letter by
Collodi to his fans (included in the back of the book) reveals Master Alfred to
be Pinocchio himself!

The endearing
illustrations by Axel Scheffler (illustrator of The Gruffalo) are immediately recognisable. Inside, they appear
classically, in sepia, though Pipì is delightfully coloured pink throughout.
The book includes a section at the back with background information about the
story, a list of famous fictional apes, a short quiz and a glossary of ‘monkey
language’. This story will appeal to children aged 8–11 years, though any fan
of Pinocchio will appreciate it.

Tuesday, 20 September 2016

I’m not sure it
was intentional but there are three pages in this book about animals that it’s
possible for the reader to colour in: the legendary unicorn and the X-ray of a
triceratops and the gorgeous dragonfly.

This is a
vibrantly hued and intricately patterned alphabet book of a wide range of
creatures—some extinct, some common to the Australian bush, some found far away
and some lost in the mists of legend.

Although the book advises it’s for a target age group of 3–6 years old,
I have no doubt that older children and adults will enjoy this vivid and
informative bestiary.

Monday, 19 September 2016

ISBN: 9781925117578

Reviewed by Anne Hamilton

After another — yes, another!
— sign appears in the rainforest about protecting the cassowary, the birds and
animals all wonder why it’s so special. The pitta, the quoll, the wallaby, the
brush-turkey, the scrubfowl want answers and they aren’t backward in pursuing
them. Just why is the cassowary such a V.I.B.? (Very important
bird.)

Although the cassowary is
notoriously reclusive, they decide they’re going to keep after it until they’ve
got it to give up its secret.

Now, there are some 3–6
year olds who are going to love the answer. It’s poo! The cassowary’s scat
fertilises the forest and keeps the cycle of life going. The music is given for
the cassowary’s song as he describes his ‘gift’ to the world.

I’m a big fan of
poster-edge style art so I really loved the finely executed illustrations.

Sunday, 18 September 2016

ISBN: 9781925117721

Reviewed by Anne Hamilton

There’s just one thing wrong with this picture book. There
wasn’t another in the series to go out and buy as soon as I got to the end.
Seriously, I was bowled over by the heart-warming charm of this touching story
and its lively illustrations—which include a map in a pocket on the inside back
cover. Being ‘wowed’ by a travel adventure is not something I expected to
happen when I first dipped inside its covers. Maybe it was the word game that
was the drawcard. I’m always a sucker for a story that involves wordplay and
this one involves a bit of detective work as well!

There’s an aspect of a treasure hunt to the story. As
Charlie goes to different parts of the island, he’s taught about significant
Hawaiian words. Words like ‘unity’, ‘humility’, ‘kindness’. Once put together,
their first letters spell out ‘Aloha’ and his adventure becomes one of learning
what makes up the Aloha spirit.

Although the target audience is suggested to be 3–6 years,
I suspect the concepts might be better directed to an age group just a tad
older, maybe 4–7 years.

Saturday, 17 September 2016

ISBN: 9781925117660

Reviewed by Anne Hamilton

About halfway through this book, I
realised it was a sequel: Hidden History is the first in this
series. Any time travel book is a complex endeavour when the characters are
moving back and forward between particular zones, but the storyline became even
more difficult to follow with the introduction of characters who have a
backstory in the previous book that wasn’t thoroughly spelled out.

The
opening is explosive, intriguing and a tiny bit confusing. Time parallelism is
occurring even before it’s made clear it is. No doubt this would have been
obvious to a reader of Hidden History but I didn’t quite pick
it up immediately. The Nephilim appear at Stonehenge during the
summer solstice, ready to subjugate humanity, perhaps even obliterate them with
their god-like powers. News reporters are waiting, alerted by the World Wide
Web that this gathering on Salisbury Plain will be like no other.

By
the time James bows to the Nephilim, fifteen-year-old Cassandra Reid knows it
is already too late to save the world from the unfolding disaster. Chronos has
sent a time device two hundred years into the future, readying the planet for
the return of the greater Nephilim brood.

Cassandra
accidently winds up in the future herself when she goes to the beach with her
friend Peony. There she has to escape the Nephilim, but also to get back to the
past. Her time-twisting adventures as she meets up with old friends, new
allies—and encounters herself in disguise—take her through to the far future
and back into the past.

Although
the cover suggests a New Adult audience, this book is more suited to avid
Middle Grade readers and the lower end of the YA spectrum.

Friday, 16 September 2016

Mr Chicken Arriva a Roma written and
illustrated by Leigh Hobbs (Allen and Unwin)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 9781925266771

Reviewed by
Daniela Andrews

The iconic Leigh
Hobbs character is back and, this time, he’s on a Vespa!

Having dreamt of
ancient Rome since he was a baby, Mr Chicken sets off to explore the country,
hiring a guide named Federica to show him around. The story wastes no time
paying homage to all the Roman sites you’d expect – the Colosseum, the
Pantheon, the Roman Forum, the Mouth of Truth … and Rome’s chaotic traffic. Mr
Chicken, er … Signor Pollo, even goes to the Vatican but doesn’t find the Pope
anywhere near as interesting as gelato. (Children – and adults – will delight
in discovering via the pictures just how gelato-obsessed this chicken becomes!)

The story is
full of all the humorous antics we’ve come to expect from Mr Chicken, who turns
into a pasta twirling extraordinaire and takes a dip in the Trevi Fountain. He
also falls asleep in front of a popular biting
tourist attraction and thereby becomes
the tourist attraction. There is even a salute to Roman history, and to Signor
Pollo’s childhood dreams, with a very funny dream about a familiar-looking
Julius Caesar and some Roman gladiators.

Australian
Children’s Laureate, Leigh Hobbs, has once again created a very funny story
about the chicken with a penchant for travel. The writing works wonderfully –
there is humour in the way it contrasts the illustrations, but also in the text
alone. For example, we read that ‘Federica’s family was having him for dinner’
… gulp! (Fortunately not as a meal, for those of us who are hopeful for another
title in this series!)

Readers are
treated to the colourful, entertaining endpapers we love about this series.
There’s a list of useful Italian words, a Frequent Flyer card and an amusing
compilation of selfies from his trip. Amidst the whimsical illustrations of Mr
Chicken on his travels are the most exquisite drawings of Rome I’ve ever seen.
The detail in these sketches is divine.

Thursday, 15 September 2016

Fero and
Cormanenko are back! Bestselling author, Jack Heath, has delivered an
exhilarating sequel to The Cut Out.
Readers of the first book will be expecting another page turner, another late
night … and they won’t be disappointed.

The novel begins
with Fero helping his ‘parents’ move boxes of potassium iodide into an
underground bunker. He has had a bit of time to process Cormanenko’s startling
revelation at the end of The Cut Out.
Though it pains him to play the role of an unsuspecting son who is loyal to
Kamau, his feigned ignorance is keeping him alive.

The pace of the
novel is a bit different to the prequel, in that the action scenes are
interspersed with Fero’s sudden flashbacks to life as Troy Maschenov. The
author cleverly keeps the reader in suspense but uses the scenes from the past
to drive the story forward, often in a different direction.

Repelled at some
of his memories, Fero’s loyalty to Besmar and to Vartaniev quickly
deteriorates. He turns to Cormanenko, an equally disillusioned agent working on
a powerful plan of her own. ‘I need you to be my fail safe’, she tells him, and
though Fero thinks he understands what she means, it is not until the end of
the story that he truly learns.

Fero’s character
development in this novel is completely plausible. I was impressed with the way
Jack Heath allowed Fero to find himself without the narrative ever lagging in
action.

This novel will
appeal to readers aged 10 and up. Its themes of war (and its senselessness),
border control, immigration, government deception and the power of social media
make it an interesting novel for class discussion. Though the beginning of the
novel briefly summarises what happened in the prequel, I would definitely
recommend reading The Cut Out before
starting this one. (Better to lose yourself in the story without trying to
piece together what has already taken place!)

In
the fifth instalment of the Penelope
Perfect series, Quiz Questions and
Complicated Crushes, Penelope is perplexed when crush fever takes hold.

Penelope
finds the concept of crushes a ‘Great Mystery’. She feels confused when her
older brother Harry sits squished on the couch with the neighbour she dubs
‘Annoying Ava’. Her brother’s acting very strange all of a sudden - didn’t he
think Ava was annoying, too? When Penelope arrives at school the next day, mean
girl Rita Azul flaunts her latest boy band crush, and makes it quite clear that
Penelope just doesn’t get it. At least Penelope has her platonic friendship
with nature-lover Oscar, until she notices he’s acting a little strangely, too.

Penelope
tries to make sense of the crush phenomena in her own, very methodical way. She
develops a quiz to determine whether someone definitely has a crush or not (a
fun addition at the back of the book). Along the way, she realises some quite
strange feelings of her own.

Throughout
the story, Penelope grapples not only with crushes, but her strong emotions.
She tries to contain her outbursts, though in her quest for perfection, they
sometimes boil over. Angst aside, there’s lots of humour throughout, from
Oscar’s earnest search for a rare beetle as Penelope tries out her quiz, to
discovering that crushes may even extend to old people’s homes. This is a fun
read that explores the sometimes confusing feelings of the pre-teen years, with
big doses of fun and heart.

Tuesday, 13 September 2016

Kevin
the cat has a craving. He wants custard. But how is he going to get his
‘waiter’ to bring him a bowl of glossy, golden custard? He is not too proud to
go through all sorts of antics to get what he wants. But what does he have to
do to get his human to understand? Spell out custard with his body? Maybe he'll
just have to get it himself.

This
is a book to make you smile. It made me laugh aloud in many places, especially
thinking of the cats I know. I'm sure if I could hear their thoughts, they
would be just like Kevin -- aloof and sarcastic.

I've
got chicken and gravy ...

...and
I've got some nice sharp claws to scratch your leg.

A
tin of sardines?

Really?
I should go about with fish breath?

This
is a picture book which relies on both text and pictures to bring it to life.
The text is spare and to the point, often in speech bubbles, and goes perfectly
with the illustrations.

These
are very bold and very bright, and like the text, spare without unnecessary
detail. They express the frustration of Kevin so wonderfully, while we only
ever see a glimpse of his human, a pair of legs or a hand.

This
is such a fun book to read aloud and children as young as three will love the
dry humour and demands of Kevin the cat - possibly recognising a tiny bit of themselves in him.

Sunday, 11 September 2016

When
I first received This School is Driving
Me Nuts!, the re-release of Duncan Ball’s plays, I pulled it out at the
breakfast table, recruited my partner and the kids and started reading them
together as a family. Each of us played many zany roles, quickly reducing each
other to tears of laughter and causing my son to announce in that moment that
he wants to be a comedian! Now that’s what I call a success story.

In
this collection of plays, Duncan Ball delights with his wickedly funny use of
language and character, providing something for everyone. From a comedic
monologue to a play the entire class can get involved in. Duncan Ball has tuned
right into the minds and imaginations of primary schoolers everywhere, getting
down to their level of grossness, throwing tons of mischievous cheek and taking
the everyday pun to a whole new level.

This School is
Driving Me Nuts!
offers hours of engagement on a group level, making this book the perfect
companion for every primary school teacher and teacher-librarian. It is a
fantastic way to introduce kids to theatre and plays whilst making reading time
even more fun.